Measuring studentsâ?? socioeconomic status using different frameworks and analyses
Hu, Tien-Ling; BrckaLorenz, Allison
Association for Institutional Research Forum, Cleveland, OH, 2023, June.
Different from the traditional measures of SES using proxies for economic capital such as low-income status and federal financial aid that do not include all the theoretical considerations of SES, this session compiles several SES and cultural capital-related frameworks, survey items, and data analyses and present several alternative ways to measure SES in the field of higher education. Audiences in this session will learn about several SES measures and data analyses. In addition to the presentation, an interactive discussion will be demonstrated to create a mutual learning environment between presenters and audiences. The session provides researchers with alternative ways to study student success for the low-income student population in higher education.
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Building on Tradition: Approaches to More Inclusive Data Analysis
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Hu, Tien-Ling
Association for Institutional Research Forum, Cleveland, OH, 2023, May.
Institutional research and assessment depends heavily on our ability to characterize the students we study into categories and on our inclination to generalize the results. Although this work is necessary for understanding student experiences, it does present challenges for critical and inclusive approaches to data analysis. In this session, we will discuss common issues and solutions associated with inclusive data analysis by investigating a series of data analysis examples that feature small sample sizes for marginalized students. We will discuss traditional variable-centered versus person-centered methodological approaches, strategies for creating groups to use in comparative analyses, challenges in quantitatively capturing aspects of identity, and tips for communicating the results, validity, and data quality of such analyses to broad audiences.
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Exploring Relationships Between Faculty Values for and Practice in Developing Student Quantitative Reasoning
Hu, Tien-Ling & BrckaLorenz, Allison
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2023, April.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities listed quantitative literacy as an essential practical skill. Colleges and universities play a key role in preparing students with career skills. Building on two critical perspectives: the importance of quality teaching to quality learning and the importance of quantitative reasoning in workforce success, the study explores the relationship between faculty values for quantitative reasoning, how much faculty structure their courses to help develop studentsâ?? real-world skills, and to what extent faculty encourage students to participate in career-related activities. The findings show that faculty values for the importance of quantitative reasoning significantly predicted how they structure their courses to help develop studentsâ?? numerical skills and how they encourage students to participate in career-related activities.
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Changing Expectations? Trends in Student Engagement Expectations and Academic Beliefs
Cole, James & Kinzie, Jillian
Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience, Los Angeles, CA, 2023, February.
The past several years has presented many challenges to higher education, including how to effectively align campus support services and academic resources to support students. Using data from Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this session will illustrate trends in student expectations and beliefs. We will also use data from individual campuses (de-identified) to illustrate changes to their entering student body and the connection to actual behaviors reported several months later on NSSE. Discussion will focus on how campuses can keep abreast of student trends and how to best support student success.
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Sense of Belonging in the First Year of College
Wenger, Kevin & Cole, James
Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience, Los Angeles, CA, 2023, February.
Studies have demonstrated the important role of sense of belonging to first-year persistence and overall academic success. Using data from the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this session will examine entering first-year student expected academic expectations, beliefs, and prior experiences that influence sense of belonging for students near the end of their first-year of college. Results will focus in interventions that can increase social sense of belonging, as well as ways to identify students that may benefit from efforts to increase sense of belonging on their campus.
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First Year Seminars' Influence on Student Engagement and Belonging
Kinzie, J., & Wenger, K.
First-Year Experience and Students in Transition Conference FYE, Los Angeles, CA, 2023, February.
First-Year seminars (FYS) have been vigorously studied and found to positively influence persistence, engagement, and student success. This session will explore new research from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to understand the relationship between seminars and student engagement, intent to return, and sense of belonging, and how results vary by a range of student identities. Even more, new results from NSSE 2022 distinguish the influence of a success skills-based course from an academic first-year seminar. Join us to explore this evidence and discuss what it suggests for efforts to enhance engagement and equity in first-year student success.
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Institutional Environments for Diverse and Inclusive College Teaching: Exploring Disciplinary Variation
Hiller, Stephen C.; Hu, Tien-Ling; Nelson Laird, Thomas; BrckaLorenz, Allison
Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2022, November.
This study examines the relationships of disciplinary cultures with three aspects of teaching environments: diversity in the curriculum, the use of inclusive pedagogies, and teaching autonomy. Using data from the College + University Teaching Environment survey, we found significant differences across disciplinary areas and Biglan dimensions.
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Intersectionality and Sense of Belonging: Unpacking the Student Veteran Experience
Morris, Phillip Allen; BrckaLorenz, Allison; Burke, Jim; Chamis, Ella; Russell, Alethia; Weiss, Jennifer
Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Las Vegas, NV, 2022, November.
Military veterans are increasingly diverse students with multiple identity intersections. Using variable- and person-centered analyses with data from NSSE (n= 12,668), we examined impacts of veteransâ?? diverse identities on the multi-item factors Sense of Belonging, Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, and Quality of Interactions. Policy and practice implications are discussed.
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Advising during the pandemic: What we learned from research and educational practice
Cole, James and Kinzie, Jillian
NACADA, Portland, Oregon, 2022, October.
The pandemic created new challenges for students and campuses alike. Students experienced major disruptions in their educational experiences resulting in heightened mental health and academic concerns that contributed to an increasing equity gap. Campuses realized that they needed to re-align, prioritize, and develop new approaches to advising to be meet the needs of these students. Much of what was learned since 2020 is now part of the new normal. This presentation will highlight the academic and mental health challenges faced by thousands of entering fall 2022 students, focusing on first-year and transfer students, students of color, and first-generation. The presentation will describe how two institutions responded to this challenge. An important component of this presentation will be participants learning from each other and sharing how their campuses responded.
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Sense of Belonging and First Year Student Success
Cole, James and Kinzie, Jillian
SAIR Conference 2022, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022, October.
Sense of belonging influences student persistence and success. Findings from NSSE 2022 and BCSSE 2021 reveals that while most first-year students feel comfortable being themselves, feel valued, and feel part of the community at their institution, differences exist for marginalized subpopulations. In this session, we review findings in an interactive discussion, introduce publicly available data visualization, and offer examples of how institutions have used their data to assess and influence belongingness. Discussion will focus on identifying actions practitioners can take to influence belonging for marginalized student populations on their campus.
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Making the Switch From Static to Dashboard Reporting
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Cole, James; Hu, Tien-Ling; Kinzie, Jillian
Association for Institutional Research Forum, Phoenix, AZ, 2022, June.
Different from the traditional static reports, dynamic online reporting is more efficient to communicate findings to decision makers. Making the switch from traditional static reporting to new online interactive dashboards can be a daunting task. Participants in this session will learn about several large-scale national survey center projects that made the switch from static to dashboard reporting. Interactive discussions will focus on four topics: (1) motivations, internal and external, for implementing a switch to dashboard reporting; (2) advantages and successes in making the switch; (3) challenges, concerns, and potential solutions for moving to dashboards; and (4) resources that are useful for implementation and maintenance of dynamic reports. Join us for this discussion about making the transition from static to interactive online reporting and prepare to leave with a commitment to making the switch yourself!
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Retaining Black women faculty: Cultivating an equitable teaching environment
Brandon, Josclynn; BrckaLorenz, Allison
, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2022, April.
Current research on the experiences of Black women faculty often focuses on the challenges they face and the reasons why they leave the academy. Instead, this study examined the experiences and success strategies of Black women faculty who have successfully navigated the tenure and promotion process. Findings can inform new and aspiring Black women faculty in navigating the academy, advise institutional leadership who are looking to recruit and retain Black women faculty, and promote discussions and tangible action items to improve inequities within the professoriate. Themes from interviews revolved around policies and procedures that are problematic for Black women specifically, the importance of support networks, the failure of institutional programs, and their persistence as an act of caring.
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Examining Black STEM Students' Experiences with Collaborative Learning
Priddie, Christen
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2022, April.
Educators continue to examine how to increase Black student representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education. There is an increased call to implement collaborative learning in STEM classrooms, but current implementations do not articulate how collaborative learning can be culturally relevant for Black students. Using a critical approach, the purpose of the current study was to establish knowledge of Black STEM studentsâ?? collaborative learning experiences. Results showed that Black STEM students valued the maintenance of their contributions in collaborative learning while placing little value in being recognized for their collaborative contributions. The current study highlighted how STEM educators should center Black STEM studentsâ?? values and experiences while transforming an active learning practices already being implemented.
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Gathering Evidence for an Assessment of Environments That Motivate Teaching Excellence
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Brandon, Josclynn; Hu, Tien-Ling; Priddie, Christen; Nelson-Laird, Thomas F.
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, 2022, April.
Inequities and discrimination within the systems and structures of higher education prevent faculty from doing and receiving recognition for their best work as educators. The purpose of this study is to present the validation testing and overview of results from a new project designed to help institutions understand the teaching environments in their local context and for researchers to understand teaching environments in higher education. The assessment instrument examined here guides our understanding of faculty needs, motivations, and supports that are necessary for healthy teaching environments and the wellbeing of diverse faculty. Findings from this study add to our knowledge of faculty teaching cultures as well as provide an example of how to collect validity evidence for climate assessment instruments
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Getting Beyond the High-Impact Practice (HIPs) Checklist: Assessing and Designing for Quality and Equity
Jillian Kinzie and Beth Manke
WASC Accreditation Resource Conference, 2022, April.
HIPs, such as undergraduate research, service-learning, and internships, represent experiences associated with student learning and success. Yet, implementation matters more than the label. This session shares findings about HIP participation and quality, including considerations for student subgroups, and discusses institutional efforts, featuring CSU Long Beach, to assess and design more effective and equitable experiences.
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Using Sense of Belonging Data to Foster Equitable Student Success: New Findings from NSSE
Colleen Lofton, Jillian Kinzie and Allison BrckaLorenz
NASPA 2022, 2022, March.
Sense of belonging influences student persistence and success. NSSE 2020 findings from 521 bachelor's granting colleges and universities show most first-year students feel a sense of belonging, yet notable differences were found for traditionally marginalized subpopulations. In this session, we will provide an overview of findings through an interactive discussion, publicly available data visualization, and examples of how institutions have used their data to assess and impact belongingness. Prepare to identify actions you can take to influence sense of belonging on your campus for marginalized student populations.
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Entering Students and the Pandemic: Campus Responses and Continued Action
Jim Cole and Jillian Kinzie
First Year Experience Annual Conference, 2022, February.
By February 2022, new students who experienced a pandemic disrupted high school will be well into their first college year. How did colleges & universities adapt and how are they continuing to respond to entering student circumstances? This facilitated dialogue session is framed by data about entering students, and then encourages FYE practitioners to share ideas and learn from one another's experiences related to 2021 entering student expectations and needs and institutional practices to support their success. Join us to exchange ideas and contribute to the evolving body of information about pandemic-responsive practices.
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Expectations for engagement? What 1st year students and transfers say
James Cole and Jillian Kinzie
First Year Experience Annual Conference, 2022, February.
Understanding entering student expectations is critical to assure that staff can align appropriate institutional resources for each student. This session will include how the Beginning College Survey of Student Engagement (BCSSE) provides comprehensive information about your entering first-year and transfer student's prior academic experiences, as well as their expectations and beliefs regarding the upcoming academic year. Participants will learn how other institutions use BCSSE for academic advising, retention efforts, faculty and staff development, and other activities. Participants will be encouraged to share their campuses current practices and how BCSSE could facilitate best practices on their campus.
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First-Year Seminars: Evidence of HIP Qualities and Outcomes
Jillian Kinzie and Kevin Wenger
First Year Experience Annual Conference, 2022, February.
First Year Seminars (FYS) are positively associated with persistence and fostering student success. Yet, their content, form and outcomes can vary. This session first highlights research exploring FYS student's exposure to the eight essential dimensions theorized to define High-Impact Practices (HIPs) as a way to prompt enhancements to FYS quality, and then discusses the association between FYS and outcomes such as sense of belonging, intent to return and NSSE Engagement Indicators as evidence of the contribution of FYS. Join us to discuss the implications of this research and to give input on this new item set.
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Motivating Teaching Excellence: Identifying Supportive Environments for Diverse Faculty
BrckaLorenz, Allison; Brandon, Josclynn
, 2022, January.
Multitudes of theories, findings from scholarly work, and our everyday experiences show us that inequities and discrimination are built into the systems and structures of higher education. These systemic issues prevent faculty from doing their best work. We will present the groundwork for a conceptual framework that can guide our understanding of how institutions can create faculty teaching environments that motivate teaching excellence and support diverse faculty. Join us for a discussion about how the components of this framework manifest on your campus and leave with ideas on how to assess and improve your institution's teaching environments for diverse faculty.
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Enhancing Sense of Belonging for Equitable Student Success: New Findings from NSSE
Jillian Kinzie, Alex McCormick, and Bob Gonyea
AAC&U Annual Meeting, 2022, January.
Students' sense of belonging influences persistence, well-being, and success. Yet students from underrepresented racial-ethnic identities and other diverse backgrounds report lower belonging than their peers. To help educators understand sense of belonging for their campus community, and especially for student subpopulations, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) added sense of belonging measures to the 2020 survey. Results show that while most first-year students feel comfortable being themselves, feel valued, and feel part of the community at their institution, there are notable differences between subpopulations. NSSE created a public Sense of Belonging interactive dashboard to support the investigation of results filtered by institution and student characteristics. This session highlights results, demonstrates the interactive dashboard, and involves participants in a discussion of the engagement behaviors positively associated with sense of belonging and how campuses can positively influence belonging to promote equitable student success.
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